Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 448 Qiongjiang River Valley (Part Two)

"Let's set sail!"

With a long shout from the boatswain, two small, deep-drafted oar-powered sailboats slowly departed from Huichuan Port and headed south upstream along the Qiongjiang River.

In the early winter morning mist, the sound of oars striking the water was exceptionally clear.

Ye Qing stood on the ship's railing, his fingers gently stroking the amulet his wife had given him the night before.

On the dock, the wife held her infant son, who was not yet one year old, her slender figure appearing and disappearing in the mist.

Faintly, the sound of a child crying reached the river, the sound like a dull knife, scraping at his heart again and again.

After much deliberation, Ye Qing decided not to bring his family with him when he went to Yongping Fort to take up his post.

The settlement, which was only established last April, still doesn't have a proper clinic; there are only two or three medical school graduates doing consultations and treating patients.

The official document that came in last month also mentioned that three immigrants had died from malaria.

Thinking of this, he clenched the appointment document in his hand, the official paper making a slight crackling sound.

A river breeze carrying moisture rushed towards Ye Qing, who tightened his collar.

Despite a thousand regrets in his heart, the path of officialdom allows no hesitation.

This was not just a job, but a chance to change his fate. He could only suppress his surging emotions and turn to walk into the cabin.

Yongpingbao is a settlement established by the Ziwuhe Special District last April, located on the river valley plain on the east bank of the middle reaches of the Qiongjiang River.

Nestled against verdant mountains and facing a clear river, the alluvial black soil here is so fertile it seems to yield oil; it is truly a treasure trove of agriculture bestowed by heaven.

The initial immigrants numbered only about 500, and a quasi-military reclamation model of "one fort and four settlements" was adopted.

Yongping Fort served as the administrative and defense center of the settlement area. It had wooden walls, government offices, granaries, and a simple wharf. More than 30 old immigrants lived in the fort. They were all skilled militiamen who had undergone two to three years of formal training and were responsible for maintaining order and preventing possible attacks from the natives.

The four villages, named Anmin Village, Xingnong Village, Guangji Village, and Fengyu Village respectively, are distributed outside the fort in a triangular shape. Each village is enclosed by a wooden fence, where eighty to one hundred immigrants live scattered. They start work at dawn to hear the drum and finish at dusk with the sound of gongs. The land nearby that has been cultivated has begun to take shape with ridges and paths.

Thanks to the hard work of the early settlers, Yongpingbao has cultivated more than 5,200 mu of farmland, forming a continuous field along the east bank of the Qiongjiang River.

The potatoes planted last year grew well, filling the immigrants with anticipation for a bountiful harvest next year.

With the arrival of this year's immigration season, the special zone sent in more than 1,300 immigrants, greatly expanding the local workforce.

The arrival of a large number of immigrants instantly transformed the once quiet settlements into bustling areas, and the rapid increase in population also provided ample labor for large-scale agricultural development.

With the commencement of large-scale development of Yongping Fort, the Qiongjiang River has become bustling with activity.

As a vital transportation route connecting the outside world with Yongping Fort, the river was constantly bustling with boats, continuously transporting new immigrants to Yongping. Various supplies needed for daily life and production, such as food, tools, seeds, cloth, and building materials, were also transported there one after another, providing a solid guarantee for the construction and development of the settlement.

With the influx of immigrants and the continuous supply of goods, Yongping Fort began to undergo significant changes.

Nine new settlements were built around the main fortress, bringing the total number of settlements to thirteen, together with the original four.

The farmland extends along the river valley, reaching a total area of ​​over 12,000 mu by the end of last month. Newly built irrigation canals meander through the area like silver chains, bringing water from the Qiongjiang River into the fields.

Smoke curled from chimneys throughout the settlement, gradually showing signs of prosperity.

Under these circumstances, the special district naturally needed to appoint an experienced and capable official to oversee everything, make overall plans for the region, and develop it in an orderly manner, with the aim of making it the core agricultural area of ​​the Ziwuhe Special District within the next three to five years.

It is obvious that this position is extremely coveted, and all ambitious and capable junior managers are eager to get it, striving to win the favor of the Commissioner.

Ye Qing graduated from the New South Wales Management Training Institute three years ago and was assigned to the Ziwu River Colonization Area, where he served as the chief clerk of Muyang Fort (now Vancouver, Washington). He distinguished himself with his meticulous copywriting and keen insight into problems.

He then caught the eye of Commissioner Gao Wenrui and became his political assistant. Over the next three years, he followed Gao Wenrui in handling various government affairs, from land surveying to resettlement of immigrants, from material allocation to dispute mediation, accumulating rich administrative experience.

He knew that Gao Wenrui appreciated diligent and pragmatic people. He always maintained a work rhythm of arriving early in the morning and returning late in the evening. He personally checked important documents and volunteered to handle difficult matters. He had long become Gao Wenrui's most trusted right-hand man.

So, taking advantage of his proximity, when Gao Wenrui asked him if he was willing to go to the grassroots level and take full charge of the Yongpingbao reclamation work, Ye Qing agreed almost without hesitation.

He knew this was his superior's deliberate cultivation, and a crucial leap in his career.

Next year, the central government will be replaced, and Kao Wen-jui will definitely be promoted to a cabinet minister. If I cannot accumulate experience as a junior official before then, my future promotion path will be hindered.

Xinhua's officialdom has always valued "grassroots experience." Without local governance experience, no matter how good one's writing skills or how meticulous one's planning, it is difficult to rise to a high position.

What excited Ye Qing even more was the development prospects of Yongping Fort.

According to the ten-year plan of the central government and the special zone, the Qiongjiang River Valley will become a key development area for Xinhua, and will receive sufficient immigration quotas and material support every year.

This river valley plain, described by geographers as the "fertile land of the west," will see a sustained development boom over the next decade.

This year's immigration of 1,300 people is just the beginning. According to the plan, the quota for next year is very likely to exceed 2,000, and the year after that it may be even more.

At this rate, Yongpingbao's population will exceed three thousand in less than three years—which is the standard for establishing an administrative county.

"At that time, I will be the first magistrate of Yongping County." Ye Qing looked at the riverbank rushing past the boat window, and couldn't help but smile.

The river breeze carried the scent of damp earth, as if he could already smell the wheat in the fields of Yongping Fort. He took out a folded map of the settlement from his bag, slid his finger along the upper reaches of the Qiongjiang River, and pressed heavily on the spot marked "Yongping Fort".

This is not only a stage for him to realize his ambitions, but also a ladder to a higher official career. He must seize this opportunity.

As the boat sailed deeper into the mountains, the forests on both banks became increasingly dense. Occasionally, the figures of indigenous people could be seen flashing through the trees along the shore, but they only observed from a distance and did not approach.

Ye Qing withdrew his gaze and turned his attention to the book he carried with him, "Essentials of Colonial Area Governance," whose pages were densely covered with his annotations.

He knew the road ahead would not be smooth, but his ambition and aspirations had already overshadowed the sadness of parting. He was ready to write his own chapter on this land as soon as the ship arrived at the dock.

"Master Dong, on your journey to Yongping, you will surely achieve great things and accomplish a monumental feat." A man in his thirties approached and said in a slightly obsequious tone, "The next day, Master Dong will surely be valued by the court and rise to prominence. It will only be a matter of time before you are granted a title and appointed as a general. I am willing to serve you faithfully and wholeheartedly under your command."

"Master Dong?...Junior?" Upon hearing these two words that had never appeared in Xinhua before, Ye Qing couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on his face, staring blankly at the other person.

"Master..." Liu Wencheng saw the young official looking at him with a puzzled expression and panicked, thinking that his behavior was too intimate. He quickly bowed and said, "If Master does not like me to address you like this, then I will address you as 'Sir'?"

“Liu Wencheng, you are a junior clerk in the Yongping Colonization Sub-district appointed by the special district. You are a government official, not my personal advisor or legal clerk.” Ye Qing said with a smile, “In other words, we are only superior and subordinate in the official system, not in a relationship of personal dependence.”

"Huh?" Liu Wencheng was taken aback. "Isn't this clerical position just a minor official subordinate to the local chief official?"

Ye Qing put down the documents in his hand, his gaze gentle yet carrying an undeniable seriousness: "The Xinhua official system emphasizes clear division of power and responsibility. Every salary comes from the central government, and every power is governed by regulations. You and I are both serving the government and working for the well-being of the people in the colonies. How can you call us vassals?"

Liu Wencheng's cheeks flushed red, and he stood there helplessly.

He studied from a young age, but the imperial examinations were difficult. After passing the preliminary examination, he made no further progress. He once thought of attaching himself to an official and becoming his advisor, but he never found a chance.

Two years ago, Qing invaders plundered northern Shandong, and their forces reached as far as Jinan.

Although he lived in Qingzhou Prefecture, in a panic, he fled to Dengzhou with a large number of refugees, fearing that he would be slaughtered by the Qing invaders.

However, during the journey, he not only became separated from his family, but also had his luggage and belongings stolen by other refugees. When he arrived in Dengzhou, he immediately became a penniless vagrant.

Not long after, he fell ill on the street.

Just when he was at his wit's end, a Chinese immigrant opened a soup kitchen in Terengganu and recruited immigrants, which unexpectedly saved him.

Because he could read and write, he was temporarily recruited as a scribe to help the new Chinese register immigration information and keep track of their money and food expenses.

Later, he traveled by boat with the new Chinese to Changshan Island to handle immigration reception matters.

Not long after, he was sent to Crying Mother Island (now Haiyang Island).

Subsequently, he unwittingly joined a large number of immigrants on a ship and sailed across the ocean to the New World.

In fact, while on Beiying Island, he had the opportunity to explain his situation to the Xinhua immigration officials, citing the reason that his family was still in Da Ming and refusing to go to Xinzhou.

But he had an idea: to make a bright future in Xinhua.

I've heard that this country was founded just over a decade ago, has a small population, and urgently needs all kinds of talent. Every year, it recruits tens of thousands of immigrants from the Ming Dynasty.

Such a newly emerging small state must desperately need his extraordinary talent.

During the early Song Dynasty, figures like Zhang Yuan and Wu Hao, who repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, joined the Western Xia and within a few years rose to the positions of Grand Tutor and Chancellor, becoming prime ministers of the Western Xia state, enjoying unparalleled glory.

Liu Wencheng could also follow suit and seek a century of wealth and prosperity.

However, after arriving in Xinhua and being taken to a place called the Ziwu River Special District, the Xinhua people, apart from having him do some copying and writing work, did not regard him as having the talent of Guan Zhong or the generalship of Yue Yi.

This disdain left him feeling quite frustrated and disappointed.

So he wrote a memorial entitled "On the Expansion and Development of Qiongjiang" and asked someone to present it to the commissioner for his perusal, hoping to gain his attention.

The effect is neither particularly good nor bad.

After reading his article, they did indeed give him an appointment letter to go to the Yongpingbao Colonization Area to serve as a lowly junior clerk.

However, after making some inquiries, he learned that this so-called junior clerk had no official rank whatsoever and was merely a low-level clerk in the Xinhua government.

Well, they were probably like the clerks and servants under the jurisdiction of my prefecture and county in the Ming Dynasty.

However, he still decided to seize this opportunity.

He believed that his talents would eventually be recognized by the new Chinese community, and that he would achieve great success.

This time, he accompanied Ye Qing to his new post hoping to curry favor with the powerful and influential—it was said that this young superior was a confidant of the Commissioner, and that he would be promoted after gaining experience at the grassroots level. However, he did not expect to be rebuffed.

“Remember this,” Ye Qing said, his voice softening but his tone stern. “In Yongping Fort, the standard for judging the performance of a clerk is whether the household registration is clear, whether the land statistics are accurate, whether the people’s demands are conveyed in a timely manner, and whether the distribution of various materials is reasonable, not whether they are flattering and writing fancy official documents.”

He pointed to the briefcase in the corner of the cabin: "Here are the list of immigrants and the farmland ledger from last year. Familiarize yourself with them first. When you arrive in Yongping, the first thing to do is to check the resettlement records of the new immigrants. Make sure there are no omissions."

Liu Wencheng quickly agreed, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.

A breeze from the river seeped in through the cracks in the cabin door, stirring the book "Essentials of Colonization Area Governance" on Ye Qing's desk. The page stopped at the chapter on "Rights and Responsibilities of Officials and Civilians".

As Ye Qing gazed at the dissipating morning mist outside the window, he thought to himself: It seems that changing the mindset and behavior of these Ming Dynasty literati must start from the basics, just like reclaiming wasteland.
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(End of this chapter)